Cowboys Agree To Sign Darren McFadden
10:08am: McFadden’s two-year deal can be worth up to $5.85MM, and includes a modest $200K signing bonus, tweets Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com.
9:38am: A day after losing the NFL’s leading rusher to their division rivals in Philadelphia, the Cowboys are set to sign a free agent running back of their own, albeit one who won’t replicate DeMarco Murray‘s production. According to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter), the club has agreed to terms on a two-year deal for former Raiders running back Darren McFadden, pending a physical.
McFadden, 27, was selected fourth overall by the Raiders back in 2008 out of Arkansas. Outside of a 2010 campaign in which he posted 1,157 rushing yards and added another 507 yards through the air, McFadden has never been able to stay healthy and put it all together for a full season. 2014 was the first year in which he played all 16 games for Oakland, but he was underwhelming, averaging just 3.4 yards per carry, his third straight season with a mark of 3.4 or lower.
In Dallas, McFadden should have an opportunity for a fresh start behind perhaps the league’s best offensive line. Although Murray certainly has plenty of talent, that offensive line played a significant part in his massive 2014 numbers, so if McFadden can stay on the field, Dallas looks like a nice spot for him.
Assuming things get finalized with McFadden, the Cowboys likely won’t add any other notable free agent running backs to the mix, opting instead to address the position in the draft. The club currently has Joseph Randle and Ryan Williams under contract, with a restricted free agent tender assigned to Lance Dunbar.
East Notes: Cowboys, Harvin, Bills, Giants
Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports examines the situation in the Cowboys‘ front office, deducing that Stephen Jones is currently winning out on key decisions over his father Jerry Jones. According to Robinson, the Cowboys owner would have been willing to go up to at least $6-7MM per year for DeMarco Murray, while his son, the team’s executive VP, drew a line in the sand in the neighborhood of $5MM annually. Of course, the Eagles‘ final offer ultimately averaged $8MM per year, so it’s not clear if Dallas would have landed him even if Jerry made the final call.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:
- Percy Harvin had a two-day visit in Buffalo with the Bills and is now taking some time to plan his next move, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Per Florio, the former Seahawks and Jets wideout has a couple more visits that he could take, but he’s debating whether to continue that process or to accept an offer, perhaps from the Bills.
- The Giants have missed out on a couple potential free agent targets at safety, and one source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link) that the team’s plans at the position are unclear. “Nobody knows what [they’re] going to do at free safety,” the source said. “They don’t have one on the roster that started an NFL game.”
- Speaking to the media today, including Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter link), new Dolphins tight end Jordan Cameron claimed he never agreed to a deal with the Browns, despite multiple reporters confirming it yesterday. “It’s the NFL free agency for you,” Cameron said. “Talks heated up.”
Ryan Succop, Titans Reach Three-Year Deal
9:51am: Succop will average $2.4MM per season on his three-year deal, tweets Wyatt.
9:05am: The Titans are bringing back their placekicker, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has reached an agreement on a three-year contract with veteran free agent Ryan Succop.
After spending five years in Kansas City with the Chiefs, Succop joined the Titans last season, replacing the late Rob Bironas. The 28-year-old converted 19 of his 22 field goal attempts, including both of his tries from 50+ yards. Succop also made all 27 of his extra-point attempts.
It’s been a busy Friday so far for the Titans, who agreed to terms with pass rushers Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan earlier today. For the team, it’s the third notable special teams signing of the month — Tennessee also locked up punter Brett Kern and long snapper Beau Brinkley to new deals within the last week.
FA Rumors: Spiller, Bowe, Falcons, Ridley
The rumors connecting C.J. Spiller to New Orleans continue to trickle in on Friday. After we heard on Wednesday that the Saints are “in the mix” for the former Bills running back, a Thursday report indicated that the team is “very high” on him. Today, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests that strong interest is mutual.
The Saints have already re-signed Mark Ingram to a $4MM annual salary, and were cap-strapped heading into this week, but the team has made a number of cost-cutting moves, and could have more on the way. Spiller will likely command a deal in the same neighborhood as Ingram’s, so it’s possible that New Orleans will have the flexibility to complete such a deal, but nothing’s finalized yet.
Here’s more on free agency:
- Following up on a Thursday report which suggested that the Browns have interest in Dwayne Bowe, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link) classifies Cleveland’s interest in Bowe as “strong.” Even after adding Brian Hartline in free agency, the Browns are probably in need of at least one more starting wide receiver.
- After paying a visit to the Broncos, free agent safety Darian Stewart is headed to Atlanta to visit the Falcons, source tell Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Denver had been hoping to lock up Stewart to help replace the departing Rahim Moore, but the former Raven continues to weigh his options.
- D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution adds (via Twitter) that the Falcons also plan on bringing in a tight end for a visit today, though it’s not clear exactly who that player will be.
- Stevan Ridley and the Cowboys could be a good match on a one-year, prove-it deal, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe adds (via Twitter) that there’s “definitely interest” on both sides, but nothing is brewing at this point. Even if the Cowboys add a veteran free agent at running back, they’ll probably plan on addressing the position in the draft.
- Veteran guard Justin Blalock had a good visit with the Lions, and also continues to draw interest from the Rams and Titans, tweets Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. We heard earlier in the week that the former Falcons guard had a visit with the Rams on his docket, so perhaps he’s headed to St. Louis next.
Lions Sign Tyrunn Walker
The Lions have agreed to a one-year contract with defensive tackle Tyrunn Walker, confirms Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. The deal is for $1.75MM, and comes with a a $750K signing bonus, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1, with a hat tip to NFL agent Sean Kiernan (via Twitter).
Walker, who turns 25 next Wednesday, played in all 16 games for the Saints in 2014, recording 19 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Although Walker went non-tendered by New Orleans, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the amount of interest the young lineman received from “smart personnel people” around the league this was was “staggering.”
In Detroit, Walker will be tasked with helping to fill the void on the line left by departing defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley.
Rob DiRe contributed to this post.
No Deal For Jordan Cameron, Browns
6:53pm: Despite having reached an agreement to re-sign with the Browns, Cameron didn’t officially sign the contract and now appears poised to join the Dolphins, according to a report.
4:57pm: Despite paying a visit to Miami, tight end Jordan Cameron is returning to the Browns, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the two sides have reached an agreement on a new contract worth $15MM for two years.
Cameron struggled with injuries in 2014, managing to play in 10 games but only catching 24 passes. However, he had a breakout season in 2013, when he caught 80 passes for nearly 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns.
This is an interesting move considering Cameron reportedly was not interested in returning to the Browns. The Dolphins were thought to be one of the frontrunners for his services, but with Cameron re-signing in Cleveland, that makes it more likely that Miami will be able to retain Charles Clay. The Bills and Dolphins will now be the two teams competing for Clay’s services, unless another team comes in late..
The Raiders were another team with major interest, but the team was hesitant to commit to Cameron due to his significant concussion history, writes Bill Williamson of ESPN (via Twitter). The Raiders had previous experience with how bad those situations can get with the handling of Nick Roach.
Saints Sign Brandon Browner
3:58pm: Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) has different numbers. He hears that it’s a three-year, $15MM deal with $10MM guaranteed.
1:46pm: It’s a three-year deal worth roughly $18MM for Browner, says Rapoport (via Twitter).
1:38pm: The Saints have signed Browner to a three-year deal, tweets Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports.
1:05pm: The Saints are closing in on a deal with with Browner, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link), who hears from a source that it’s “almost finished.”
9:49am: As one cornerback expresses his discontent with the team, another corner is getting the hard sell from the Saints this week in free agency, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). According to Rapoport, the Saints have made a “major push” to sign former Patriot Brandon Browner, offering him more than $5MM per year.
Presumably, the Saints would like to add Browner to a secondary that also includes Keenan Lewis, but Browner could also represent an insurance policy for the team if the situation with Lewis isn’t salvageable. The veteran Saints corner indicated earlier this week that he’s uneasy about the moves New Orleans has made, and would like to be released if the club isn’t willing to guarantee the remaining years on his contract.
As for Browner, he hit the unrestricted market earlier this week after the Pats decided not to pick up his option. The veteran corner, who turns 31 in August, appeared in nine regular season games for New England in his suspension-shortened season. He recorded 32 total tackles, seven pass deflections, and one interception during that time. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) wasn’t wowed by Browner’s performance in 2014, ranking him No. 79 out of 108 qualified cornerbacks.
Elsewhere on the Saints front, we heard yesterday that the team is in the mix for C.J. Spiller and while that’s not a done deal yet, Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports tweets that the team is “very high” on the former Bills running back.
FA Rumors: Morgan, Shorts, Gresham, Texans
As anticipated, Derrick Morgan left his meeting in Tampa Bay today without signing with the Buccaneers, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. The Cowboys are expected to be next on Morgan’s list of visits, and the Titans still want to re-sign him as well. As for the Bucs, if they decide to move on from Morgan, it’s not clear who they’d target instead. Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that the club has yet to reach out to George Selvie, who played his college ball at the University of South Florida.
Here’s more on free agency:
- The Jets have interest in wide receiver Cecil Shorts, according to Dom Cosentino of NJ.com. Wide receiver isn’t really an area of need for New York, since the team already has Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker, and Jeremy Kerley on the roster, but adding more weapons would only help whichever quarterback ends up as the Jets’ starter.
- Tight end Jermaine Gresham paid a visit to the Raiders this week, and still could sign with the team, but nothing is imminent at the moment, tweets Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- There’s “genuine mutual interest” between the Packers and free agent cornerback Tramon Williams, reports Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com (via Twitter). Having lost Davon House in free agency, Green Bay could use some depth at corner, and Williams, who has received some interest from around the league, is certainly a player the team is familiar with.
- Despite locking up free agent safety Rahim Moore today, the Texans would still like to bring back their own free agent, Kendrick Lewis, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). As McClain notes, Houston often utilizes three safeties on defense.
- Washington has inquired on free agent safety Taylor Mays and there’s “mutual interest” between the two sides, but it’s not clear if a visit has been scheduled yet, tweets John Keim of ESPN.com. Mays was primarily a special-teamer for the Bengals last season.
Broncos Sign Vance Walker
Defensive lineman Vance Walker has jumped from one AFC West team to another. Less than a week after being cut by the Chiefs, Walker has signed with the Broncos on a two-year deal worth $5MM, according to agent Thomas Sims (via Twitter). Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com tweets that the pact is worth $4MM, so there may be a gap between the base value and the max value.
Walker, who started 15 games for the Raiders in 2013, never became a regular contributor for the Chiefs, playing just 238 defensive snaps after appearing in nearly 800 in Oakland a year earlier. Kansas City released him only a year after signing him to a three-year, $10MM contract in free agency last offseason.
In Denver, Walker will help create depth on a defensive line that figures to be without Terrance Knighton in 2015.
Eagles Sign Ryan Mathews
3:52pm: The Eagles have officially announced the deal (via Twitter).
THURSDAY, 3:41pm: Despite the fact that the Eagles are adding DeMarco Murray, Mathews will finalize his deal and sign with the team, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). So the former Charger will join a Philadelphia backfield that will also feature Murray and Sproles.
WEDNESDAY, 1:01pm: Mathews and the Eagles have agreed to terms on a three-year, $11.5MM contract that features $5MM in guaranteed money, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
7:32am: Free agent running back Ryan Mathews is paying a visit to the Eagles today, and the team isn’t expected to let him leave Philadelphia without a deal, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Garafolo reports that the Eagles are expected to sign Mathews to a new contract today.
Considered an injury-prone player for the first three seasons of his career, Mathews finally stayed healthy and put it all together for the Chargers in 2013, rushing for a career-high 1,255 yards. He was unable to keep that run of good health going in 2014 though, playing just eight games for San Diego due to injuries. The former 12th overall pick can be one of the league’s best backs when he’s at 100%, so assuming they finalize an agreement with him, the Eagles will be banking on good health for Mathews in 2015.
Having traded away LeSean McCoy to the Bills, the Eagles thought they had found their replacement in former Niner Frank Gore, reportedly agreeing to terms with the veteran back over the weekend. However, Gore had second thoughts about the arrangement, and ultimately decided to head to the Colts instead, leaving Philadelphia on the market for a player to complement Darren Sproles and Chris Polk (if he returns) in the team’s backfield
The Eagles and top free agent running back DeMarco Murray had been rumored to have mutual interest, but if the club signs Mathews, it’s hard to imagine there being room for Murray as well.